X-Men Legacy #274 Review

This is the Rogue story I was waiting for, one where she takes an active role in her world to save someone’s life. After months of reading about alien warfare, it was refreshing to see Rogue in her element, helping citizens recover from the devastation of the recent Phoenix encounter. Though she knows she may not have the power to take on Scott in his Dark Phoenix form, she is acting like a true hero.

But that’s enough Rogue worship. Let’s take a look at the story.

Absorbing the rescue workers’ knowledge, Rogue bravely volunteers to search rubble for survivors. Showing up in the knick of time to accompany her is Magneto in all his splendor. If there is anything we know about Magneto, it is that he doesn’t do anything out of the kindness of his heart. He has ulterior motives; namely, asking Rogue to, more or less, take a more active role in his life.

It’s natural to reflect on your life when facing death (which nearly every character has done, thanks to AvX), to think about the choices you made and the people you cherish. Magneto realizes that Rogue is the woman he wants to be his companion. She leaves his request unanswered as they come across survivors, one of which is Richard. Richard is a man in his 40s, a man full of regrets and a body full of shrapnel. From his career to his very core being, he is questioning his life, what matters most and what could have been.

It’s hard to see what Rogue sees at this moment. She had just heard Magneto’s plea to stay with him, saved several subway passengers, and a dying man’s last thoughts. I don’t know if Richard’s shock-induced clarity gets to her, but Rogue seems to want to save his life at all costs. This is when Rogue is most real to me, when she keeps her words tight and close to the chest, yet you can tell she cares more than any other character in the X-Men universe. She puts up a tough “leave no man behind” exterior, but I like to think she emotionally cannot afford for this man to die. This stranger who shares so much with Rogue, who has a history that Rogue relates to, is slowly dying before her eyes. She needs him to live, if only to prove to her that everyone can pull through the mess the two have in common.

The story is short, practically ending before you know it. The events in the rubble shape Rogue’s answer to Magneto, and it is one made with much contemplation and reservation. Rogue’s reasoning further supports my deep love for the character, and I have a feeling you’ll feel the same way.

THE VERDICT

This issue is a good read. While I wouldn’t encourage people who haven’t read ANY X-Men to buy it, if you are familiar with the history behind Magneto and Rogue (or not, it still reads well), I would encourage you to read it. You don’t have to read any AvX or previous X-Men Legacy issues, although it doesn’t hurt. It really is a great Rogue story.

About The Author

Mara Wood holds a Ph. D. in School Psychology. Currently, she works for a public school system assessing students for educational placement. Her research focus is comic books and how they can be used in therapy and educational settings. She tends to spend most of her day reading comic books, writing about them, and thinking about comic books (kind of a one-track mind…). Mara’s other hobbies include reading manga and Star Wars novels, and playing Dungeons & Dragons. She co-hosts Talking Comics and Talking Shojo, and you can find her on twitter (@megamaramon) or on her blog, marawoodblog.com.

2 Responses

Hey Mara I enjoyed reading your review. I read the book. I’m 35 so I’m more of a Claremont baby when it comes to all things X-Men. The relationship between Rogue and Magneto I find almost unreadable. The mere fact that Magneto was born before WWII and has daughters the same age as rogue upset me. Never mind the fact that Magneto and Rogue are two strong characters that may or my not do well together, but point blank it is in my opinion that there is a stigma towards older women in comics. (they just don’t exist) The nature of their relationship isn’t really that deep. Nowhere compared to the sacrifices that she had to endure, and the trails of her character where her powers were unchecked. If you really want to read Rogue at her greatest read Claremont’s Xtreme Xmen run. I’ve read the entire history of Rogue and Magneto and it pales in comparison in my opinion, then with her relationship with Remy. I’ve read this story with Rogue as its lead a couple of times. A innocent man slowly dying and Rogue at his bedside. A late nod to the first love of her life. But this book is faithful only to Rogue. Where is her team? Anyway I’m sorry, I just had to vent. I’ve always had a crush on Rogue I just find writers have a hard time outfitting her in context of our current reality. It’s always Rogue in space, Rogue in hell, Rogue in another dimension, Rogue the cosmic warrior. This is just not know the Rogue I grow up knowing. She still is a strong character just a little all over the place as if marvel doesn’t know what to do with her. Love the write up. Thanks for listening to me rant. Take care and God Bless.

I feel the same way about Rogue’s current role. She was one of my favorite characters growing up, and I collect covers that feature her (especially variants–but it’s a small collection). The Rogue I grew up with was with Remy, and the relationship featured all the angst and restriction I love about the character. I have not read the history of Rogue and Magneto, so when they got together, I freaked out a bit. With all the reboots and alternate story lines going on in comics in general, I couldn’t tell if this was the really old Magneto or some writer’s new concept of him. Either way, it is still…odd. I want her to be with Remy, but I can’t tell if I feel that way because of fangirl nostalgia or because that’s best for the character.

You’re right about Rogue in general: why isn’t she being written to maximize her impact? Her leadership role should be played up, but it seems that people don’t know what to do with her. And her team hasn’t been in the series for several issues now!

The worse part about the whole situation is that I’m still going to buy the book because I love the character, no matter how much I think they mess up in writing her. I desperately want her to succeed in the comic series, but not in this way. I will look into the Xtreme Xmen run for some good Rogue!

By the way, you’re more than welcome to rant here! Sometimes you just need to get out some concerns about books/authors/characters, and this is the place to bring up discussions about it!